Melon Fruit Bowl

The fruits bowls are from my backyard – yes the cantaloupes. We harvested about eight cantaloupes this year; not a lot but the garden had been harassed and devoured by our bunnies, even before the plants got to grow.

While we have been very patiently bearing the natural devastation by the yard friends, I am happy that I could at least get my hand on some of the fruits.I have given up tending them, but some of them are still looking good. We have had about 10 bitter melons, few hot peppers – some growing downwards while some reach out straight for the sun. We have also had a bunch of methi/ fenugreek greens, pohi/pui, baby spinach, a lot of mint and a few purple potatoes. The potatoes gave me hope, for I had planted only a couple of roots which grew out of the potatoes at home.

Spinach -

The Purple Potatoes -

Bittermelons, Peppers and Cantaloupe

While everyone is summoning the fall, it still feels like summer here – the heat has come down, it is pleasant and the vegetables and flowers are actually doing way better than they did during peak summer. This time of the year is one of the best times down south. Cooler mornings and evenings and lots of lovely flowers which we can actually enjoy being able to be outside without getting fried.

The cantaloupes from the yard do not come in jumbo sizes we get in the supermarket. They just big enough to be enjoyed by my girls at one go.

All the melons from the yard end up as the melon ball fruit salad in their individual bowls or the melon boats. They best part is that the little hands can make this salad all by themselves They love scooping out the flesh of their own bowls, mixing it up with the other ingredients and then they make themselves comfortable on the dining table, eating and being really really proud.

The fruit bowls may be done with honeydew or even watermelon for a bigger party. This is really a no recipe. But it is such a favorite with my kids that they insisted I put it in the blog… here it is for my girls.

Melon Fruit Bowl

Ingredients:

1 cantaloupe or honeydew

any other assortment of fruits and berries, chopped – (I have used blueberries, strawberries and blackberries)

sugar/honey/agave nectar or any other sweetener

salt

fresh lime juice

fresh mint leaves, finely chopped or shredded + some more to garnish

very lightly toasted sliced almonds or any other nuts

Optional:some ginger juice or thinly sliced crystalline ginger

Preparation:

Cut a thin strip around each end of the cantaloupe without making holes; this is to make the cantaloupe halves sit straight and flat.

Divide the cantaloupe into half, horizontally. Scoop out and discard the seeds and the membrane

Use a melon baller to scoop out the tiny balls from each half of the cantaloupe shell. remove them in a big bowl. Combine the other fruits, sugar, lemon juice, ginger juice/chopped ginger and mint leaves and toss well. Refrigerate till ready to use.

Spoon the fruit mix back into the cantaloupe halves and top them with nuts and fresh mint. Pour in the fruit juice that accumulates in the bowls.

(If you need to serve it later, refrigerate the fruits and fill in the bowls only when ready to serve.)

Serve chilled.

My girls usually have the melon balls their after school snack – cool, refreshing and nourishing. Perfect for light fruity dessert or an anytime snack.

Its really exciting to grow vegetables… see them grow … and ten finally you get to savour them..
the fruit basket is simple but it still looks so tantalizing.. the vibrancy of the colors makes it look so exotic… like its being served in a luxury hotel…

I could have sworn I had commented here earlier, maybe my PC ate up the comment before it got posted, that is quite a bounty you have from your garden, but the melon bowls are the winner. very creative idea to use them for serving.

Your melons are beautiful. I have never had much luck growing melons. This is so eye-catching and I bet that it tasted fresh and delightful. I hate to see the bounty of my garden leaving, as much as I enjoy fall.

We have “mini” cantaloupes growing in our garden, too. Like you, our crop wasn’t tremendous this year, but enough to eat. I’m going to try your “bowl” idea with a couple that are left. Thanks for sharing

[...] Delights of life are in little things. The home grown cantaloupes are half the size of the store bought ones; just the perfect size to serve the four of us with no leftovers. A couple of years back when we had these tiny cantaloupes, we got obsessed with these fruit filled melon bowls. Every single cantaloupe was destined to be scooped out to make Melon Fruit Bowl. [...]

I love this idea! I got inspired and made a melon bowl filled with yogurt and berries! Doesn’t look as pretty as yours though!! – wish I could grow melons in my yard!! I hope you don’t mind I have linked your blog on my yogurt melon bowl recipe: http://traveleatbake.com/yogurt-melon-bowl/
Thank you for the awesome idea!! xx

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